Golden Dears, the Prize statuettes of Ecofilms,
were awarded on Saturday 24 June
at the open air theater RODON

Feature films

The Jury for long format composed of Tasos Boulmetis, Manuel Poutte, Jan Rofekamp and Yanni Sakioti watched 13 films covering a wide range of political and cultural themes  in a space of 5 days. It nominated two films for the first prize on the grounds of their unique narrative approach and overall quality

• Mana beyond belief by Peter Friedman and Roger Manley, accompanied by a financial award of 3.000 euro

• Shutka Book of records by Aleksander Manic, also accompanied by a financial award of 3.000 euro

The second prize accompanied by a financial award of 3000 euro was awarded to Dreaming by numbers by Anna Maria Buccheti, for its unique poetic and humoristic rendering of everyday life in a small neighborhood in Naples.

Medium films

The jury for medium length films has chosen two films which have moved us for different reasons. We live in a time when many of us are forced for either political or economic reasons to leave a way of living that has provided a familiar ground for many generations. Both of the films are about losing one’s roots.

The 2^nd prize goes to a film which portrays with respect, humor and sensitivity the struggles of being displaced from one’s homeland and the longing for one’s cultural and family roots. The 2^nd prize goes to EXILE FAMILY MOVIE.

The 1^st prize goes to a film which quietly shows us the fate of a way of life when culture cuts off our access to the forest land which has provided the basis of survival. The 1^st prize goes to LOPUKHOVO (5.000€).

Short films

The Jury for short films composed of Marco Gaudenzi, Bahiz Hojeij and Yanni Leontari nominated Malgorzata Skiba’s Eco Darma as first prize winner accompanied by a prize of 3000 Euro. Set in India, the film addresses a wealth of spiritual, social, political and environmental issues.

Ilan Stehberg’s Sea wolves at the river market earned the second award accompanied by a financial prize of 1500 euro. It earned the award on account of its original and subtle narrative.

Majed Neisi’s My friend Mr Bull received special mention for documenting a very balanced relationship between man and the environment expressed by characters of the film.

Ramsar MedWet Award for best film on water and wetlands

The Jury of for the section of films on water and wetlands composed by Salvador Aguirre, Sergio Illuminato and Tony Long nominated Holger Ernst’s Rain is falling’as best film. The film relies on the universal nature of images to communicate a wealth of messages including hope for sustainable solutions to address challenges related to water. The award was accompanied by a prize of 3500 euro

The jury also awarded two special mentions to:

* Cyanide Blues by Zoltan torok

*Freshwater lands by Ana Christina Henriquez

Greek Film Center Award for best greek film

Katerina Patroni’s O Pinakas earned the prize offered by the Greek cinema center, accompanied by a prize of 1500 euro. It is an intimate portrait of the making of  a painting using natural materials. The Jury composed of Kosta Ivan Georgiadi, Yanni Leontari and Dimitri Papakostanti presented two special mentions to:

*Koursal by Niko Theodosiou the search for a floating movie theater reveals uneasy facts about the past of the city of Thessaloniki

* Kifisos, A god’s awakening by Dionysia Kopana  for documenting the transformation of  a river into a motorway.